pat·sy

[pat-see]
noun, plural pat·sies. Slang.
1.
a person who is easily swindled, deceived, coerced, persuaded, etc.; sucker.
2.
a person upon whom the blame for something falls; scapegoat; fall guy.
3.
a person who is the object of a joke, ridicule, or the like.

Origin:
1900–05, Americanism; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged

Pat·sy

[pat-see]
noun
1.
a male given name, form of Patrick.
2.
a female given name, form of Patricia.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Patsy is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
patsy (ˈpætsɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -sies
1.  a person who is easily cheated, victimized, etc
2.  a scapegoat
 
[C20: of unknown origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

patsy
"fall guy, victim of a deception," 1903, of unknown origin, possibly an alteration of It. pazzo "madman" (see patch (2)), or south It. dial. paccio "fool." Another theory traces it to Patsy Bolivar, character in an 1880s minstrel skit who was blamed whenever anything went wrong.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

patsy definition

[ˈpætsi]
  1. n.
    a victim of a scam. (Underworld. See also dupe.) : That guy over there looks like a perfect patsy.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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